ELA Figurative Language 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What type of figurative language is used in the sentence: "The moon was a silver coin in the sky"?
- Simile
- Metaphor (Correct answer)
- Personification
- Hyperbole
Correct answer: Metaphor
This is a metaphor because it directly compares the moon to a silver coin without using 'like' or 'as'.
Question 2: Which of the following sentences contains a simile?
- Life is a rollercoaster.
- The sun smiled down on us.
- Her voice was like music to his ears. (Correct answer)
- I've told you a million times.
Correct answer: Her voice was like music to his ears.
A simile uses 'like' or 'as' to compare two unlike things; 'her voice was like music' fits this definition.
Question 3: "The wind whispered secrets through the trees" is an example of which figurative language device?
- Hyperbole
- Simile
- Personification (Correct answer)
- Alliteration
Correct answer: Personification
Personification gives human traits (whispering) to a non-human thing (the wind).
Question 4: Which of the following is the best example of hyperbole?
- The cat sat quietly on the mat.
- Her eyes were like shining stars.
- I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. (Correct answer)
- The clock ticked on and on.
Correct answer: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration for effect; claiming you could eat a horse is clearly impossible and therefore hyperbolic.
Question 5: "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers" is an example of which literary device?
- Onomatopoeia
- Assonance
- Alliteration (Correct answer)
- Rhyme
Correct answer: Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in nearby words; the repeated 'p' sound throughout makes this alliteration.
Question 6: In the sentence "The bees buzzed around the hive," which word is an example of onomatopoeia?
- bees
- buzzed (Correct answer)
- around
- hive
Correct answer: buzzed
Onomatopoeia refers to words that imitate the sounds they describe; 'buzzed' sounds like the noise bees actually make.
Question 7: "Break a leg!" said before a performance is an example of which figurative language device?
- Hyperbole
- Metaphor
- Personification
- Idiom (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Idiom
An idiom is a phrase whose overall meaning differs from the literal meaning of its individual words; 'break a leg' means 'good luck,' not a literal broken leg.
ELA Figurative Language 1
What type of figurative language is used in the sentence: "The moon was a silver coin in the sky"?